Contingency Plan, Lake Levels and Gardening

Heading into the weekend, the water department has a few announcements for our community.

First a friendly reminder that there are 13 days left to comment on our water conservation plan, which you can read here: https://www.cityofdenton.com/DocumentCenter/View/850/2019-Drought-Contingency-Plan-PDF?bidId=

Comments should be submitted here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/203b95cde04e4bdab38383ecc8af7459

Additionally we are thrilled to announce that our lakes are almost full, as of today Lake Lewisville is 98% full and Ray Roberts is 97% full. This is great news because climate models predict another brutal summer ahead, hotter and drier than 2023, which was a record breaking year. As water users, that means our job is to conserve now, and implement conservation practices while we have water. One of the 3 reasons we have to put water restrictions in place, is based on lake levels, the more we conserve now, the less strained the lakes will be this summer, when heat drives heavy water use and more evaporation.

If you plan to garden or maintain your landscape this spring, now is the time to prepare.

If possible, replace sprinklers with bubblers, soaker hoses or drip tape. Test your sprinklers now and make repairs. Remember to choose plants that are drought tolerant, but also keep in mind that drought tolerant plants usually need a year or two to get established before they are truly rooted enough to withstand the heat and drought. Consider using pots so that you can move your plants under shade when the summer heat kicks in.